By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – When Abdirizak Maalin’s 1-year-old daughter said her first words, they were in English.

It will be her mother tongue.

“We are very careful to talk only English around her,” Maalin said. “She can learn the others, but first she must learn in English. I want her to be able to think in English.”

Maalin, 22, a Somali Bantu refugee, is one of an estimated 300 Bantu – about 50 families – who have moved to Lewiston.

Like the ethnic Somalis before them, they see promise of a new life in Maine: a better economic future, a good education for their children and a chance to live safe and free.

But they are not the same as the ethnic Somalis, who began arriving in Lewiston five years ago and now number more than 2,300. The Bantu come from a different culture, speak a different language and have a different history.

“If you are from Somalia, people assume you are Somali and that you speak the same language,” said Rilwan Osman, 21, another Bantu living in Lewiston. “We don’t.”

Lewiston’s ethnic Somalis speak a dialect of common Somali. The Bantu speak a language called Maay Maay. They might know some words in Somali or English but are more comfortable in their native tongue.

The language difference leads to problems, Osman said. He’s one of the five Bantu who serve as unofficial translators for the community. Friends and neighbors call him at all hours to help with job applications and meetings with doctors and government aid workers.

His unofficial status makes it hard, though. He has accompanied friends to important meetings several times, only to be asked to leave.

“They have their own translators but they speak Somali, not Maay Maay,” Osman said. “They think that we must speak the same language, since we are from the same country. And I have to leave.”

His friends come out of the meetings confused about what happened.

“Sometimes, we think the translator gives an answer just to get it finished,” Osman said.

He and the other unofficial Maay Maay translators are working with Coastal Enterprises Inc. to gain official status. They’re taking tests and getting permits. As official translators, they’ll be paid for their efforts.

The Bantu’s lack of English and Somali language skills has also been a challenge for local schools.

The city hopes to hire six new language teachers to help an expected 150 Bantu students. The increase in the English Language Learners program is part of a proposed $2.2 million spending increase, which won’t affect local taxes because the city is getting a big increase in state aid.

The city’s newest immigrants are melding with a diverse community. Lewiston has as many Spanish-speaking people as Bantu, and almost as many Sudanese and Ethiopian refugees.

The city’s response to such influxes has improved since the first wave of Somalis arrived in 2001, said Phil Nadeau, Lewiston’s deputy city administrator.

“We have systems to respond to non-English speakers of all types. We’ve been down this road before, but this time we know what to do,” he said.

For example, having people on hand to help with translations has made a big difference. The city doesn’t spend more money but it is more sensitive to non-English speakers, Nadeau said.

“We’re more careful how we convey information,” he said. The forms, informative posters and reminders all around City Hall are now written in English and three other languages – French, Spanish and Somali. Several city employees are fluent Somali speakers, and they’re readily available to help.

So far, the city has relied on Somali speakers to translate for the Bantu, Nadeau said.

Osman hopes that will change when he and others become official Maay Maay translators. But the best solution is for the Bantu to learn English, and that is their priority.

Most have found jobs working as janitors and laborers at area businesses, but they also have enrolled in English classes through Lewiston Adult Education. Osman is working toward his GED, and both he and Maalin hope to go to college.

“Economically, we have a better chance here,” Maalin said.

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